Brexit? Give us a break!
BRITAIN might be intent on withdrawing from the EU but the continent continues to exert its traditional hold over British holidaymakers.
ABTA, the Association of British Travel Agents, forecast recently that Europe was the number one destination that UK holidaymakers wanted to visit in 2019, with 61 per cent of people planning to head to there this year.
So it has proved. Following the first full week’s trading of the new year, Barrhead Travel has released its top-selling holiday destinations for 2019.
Majorca claims the top European spot for the third year in a row. Spain and Turkey dominate the top five, with Tenerife, Alicante, Antalya and Dalaman all coming behind Majorca.
Orlando, in Florida, is the top US destination with Barrhead customers, ahead of New York and Miami.
Elsewhere, the Caribbean countries of Barbados and the Dominican Republic are popular, while Hong Kong and Dubai are also big draws.
Barrhead says destinations such as Miami, Barbados and Cancún, in Mexico, are “key players” for 2019.
The Scottish-based travel agency says sales for summer 2019 holidays are 10 per cent up on the same period last year.
Jacqueline Dobson, president of Barrhead Travel, said it was no surprise Majorca was in top spot, as it was “a destination for everyone – beach, city and even soft adventure, thanks to its interior landscapes”.
She added: “We have also noticed a resurgence in popularity for the beach resorts in Turkey, Greece and Bulgaria, which are offering great value.”
Dobson said that while beach escapes and city breaks remained the most popular types of holidays, the cruise sector was continuing to grow as an “innovative and burgeoning market”; one-third of the holidays that Barrhead sells are cruises.
ABTA’s Travel Trends
Report for 2019 says more people took an overseas holiday in 2018 compared to anytime over the previous seven years.
“The increase in early bookings is likely to reflect people wanting to get value for money and the destination of their choice”, the report added.